Cover Story: Barry Blitt’s “Anything but That”

“It’ll apply next week, whether it’s one or the other,” Barry Blitt says, about his cover for the new issue. “And it’s nice to take a break and not have to draw Trump—or Hillary, for that matter.”

Here are a collection of Blitt's covers from the 2016 election. His visual commentaries on the Presidential campaign started a little more than a year ago, when Donald Trump entered the race.

“Belly Flop,” by Barry Blitt, July 27, 2015.

“Donald Trump has entered the fray of Republican Presidential candidates with all the grace of a bully doing cannonballs and belly flops at the local swimming pool,” Blitt said at the time. “Trump never fails to provide hours of slack-jawed amazement.”

“Bad Reception,” by Barry Blitt, February 1, 2016.

“My biggest challenge was to alter the Presidents’ expressions to make them reflect attitudes of consternation,” Blitt remarked in February. “Teddy Roosevelt generally looks angry and somewhat appalled, so he was the easiest.”

“The Big Short,” by Barry Blitt, March 28, 2016.

The news cycle in late March gave the artist a convenient shorthand to depict the candidate. Yet a hint of impatience crept into Blitt’s commentary: “In a reading, not only are the lines of the palm considered but also the relative sizes of the hand and fingers. Speaking of which—I hope Donald Trump doesn’t actually become President.”

“Grand Illusion,” by Barry Blitt, May 23, 2016.

By May, when Blitt returned to drawing Trump's whole figure, he noted, “The Trump-induced rift in the G.O.P. is the least depressing of the items on the current news cycle.”

“Donald’s Rainy Days,” by Barry Blitt, August 22, 2016.

When August came around, Blitt ventured a prediction: “Like a lot of anxious people, I’ve been obsessively watching all the forecasts, predictions, and computer models, hoping for a break in this feverish political season. It’s finally looking like we may be getting some blessed relief.” “I am naïve,” he now admits.

“Miss Congeniality,” by Barry Blitt, October 10, 2016.

Watching the first debate, Blitt recognized a significant moment in the Presidential campaign. Of all Trump’s dangerous beliefs, the artist said, his misogyny “might just be his Achilles’ heel.”

“Significant Others,” by Barry Blitt, October 31, 2016.

And following the third and last debate Blitt’s thoughts focussed on love: “Both candidates seem to be in a loving relationship right now. But it is worth noting that, in the event of a Trump Presidency, Vladimir Putin would be the first foreign-born First Mate since Louisa Adams.”